Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.06.2018, Side 60

52 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 09 — 2018
Living in Reykjavík, it’s quite easy to
get caught up in the routine of city
life, and forget that this town is just
a tiny dot on a coast of an island that’s
full of monumental nature. Iceland’s
vast and beautiful wilderness has an
intensity that you won’t be able to ex-
perience anywhere else on this planet.
And it only takes a short drive to get
to it. As soon as you leave the city, the
lava fields start to fill the horizon,
and you’re transported to another di-
mension. But hold on: this is just the
beginning. Prepare to be amazed, be-
cause the most breathtaking and oth-
erworldly landscapes you can imagine
are hidden in this island’s wild inte-
rior.
Valley of Þór
It’s a cold and windy Sunday morning
in the middle of May. A Super Jeep is
waiting for us in front of the Midgard
Base Camp, which is situated in the
rather unassuming town of Hvolsvöl-
lur. After accidentally witnessing the
first round of the Formula Off-Road
championship in nearby Hella, as well
as stumbling upon Midgard’s second
birthday party the evening before, I
jump into the Jeep excited for more
surprises, and to unravel the myster-
ies of the “Valley of Þór”: Þórsmörk.
A force of nature
Our guide Klara is a force of nature
herself. She’s bubbly and full of en-
ergy, showering us with insights, in-
formation, and unique observations.
Hailing from the nearby Westman Is-
lands, she knows a thing or two about
volcanoes, being a proper “volcano
child” who lived through the famous
1973 eruption that damaged her home-
town, and forced her whole family to
evacuate and start a new life from
scratch.
The stones speak
After driving into the interior via an
F-road, and crossing the winding ten-
drils of the Krossá river, the Jeep stops
at Gígjökull, a point through which
glacial flood water escaped during
the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption. The
rocks in the area have a grain similar
to those inside the trunk of a tree—
they are remnants of the lava that
came from the previous eruptions,
showing the history of the earth, writ-
ten in stone. The whole place inspires
a sense of awe. “Every time I come
here, I can feel how tiny I am as a hu-
man being in this world,” says Klara.
Elves & trolls
Our next stop is Húsadalur, where we
take a short hike and eat lunch in the
surrounding trees and wooden huts
before hitting the trails. During our
hike, our guide tells us how the Icelan-
dic landscape animates imagination,
and how it became the basis for folk
tales and beliefs such as the existence
of trolls and the Húldufólk, or “hidden
people.”
Magical quest
Finally, we reach the breathtaking
Stakkholtsgjá canyon, and I fall in
love with the place instantly. The lush
greenery of the moss growing over the
cliffs and rocks reminds me of spring.
We walk to a cave which has a water-
fall cascading into it from the Eyjaf-
jallajökull glacier. We jump over rocks
and cross small streams, as though
we’re on a magical quest.
After one more secret waterfall on
the way back, it’s time to leave this
fantastastical land and go back to the
reality of the city. But like the rocks
around the magical Þórsmörk Valley,
my memories of the trip will stay set
in stone.
Distance from
Reykjavík:
158 km
Car provided by:
midgardbase
camp.is
How to get there:
Route One South to
Hvolsvöllur
The
Þórsmörk
Dimension
Exploring the wild valley behind Eyjafjallajökull
Words: Kinga Koslowska Photos: Art Bicnick
River crossing
The House at Eyrarbakki
Árnessýsla folk museum is located in Húsið, the House, historical
home of the Danish merchants built in 1765. Húsið is one of
the oldest houses in Iceland and a beautiful monument of
Eyrarbakki´s time as the biggest trading place on the south coast.
Today one can enjoy exhibitions about the story and culture of
the region, famous piano, shawl made out of human hair and the
kings pot, are among items. Húsið prides itself with warm and
homelike atmosphere.
Opening hours:
May 1st - September 30th
daily 11.00-18.00 or by an agreement
Tel: +354 483 1504 & +354 483 1082
husid@husid.com I husid.com